Customer Reviews

Parisian Home Cooking

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I am very interested in french culture - in particular, the culture of food! I have other french cookbooks, but this one is by far the most used. Every single recipe I have cooked from this book has turned out beautifully. My family has especially enjoyed the scallop recipes and the bean soup recipe. I am very pleased with this book. I love the stories of french life and the pictures of the cooks in their kitchens. Hard to believe that so many treats could emerge from such tiny and bare kitchens. Bon appetit!

Little needs to be said about this book! It is the best cookbook I have ever owned. It is used weekly in our home. Recipes are simple, quick and absolutely delightful. You don't need any other French cookbook, although Parisian Home Cooking will only wet your appetite for more and more of this wonderful genre of food! An absolute must! Michael put me on the list for your next book!!!

One of my favorite 5 cookbooks of all time. Simple but delicious food, with an easy reading layout. Every recipe I have tried has turned out fantastic.

The Duck with Green Peppercorns is out of this world. You can make it with duck legs only, too, which works great and is cheaper than buying whole ducks..

I have made so many recipes out of the book and I love them all! They are so easy and delicious! The french onion soup is a standard item in our house, as well as the portugese cod, saffron rice, and so many more. It is a joy to read and it contains wonderful pictures that really connect you to French daily life!

I have lots and lots of cookbooks, but this one definitely makes my top 10 list. All the dishes I've tried have turned out delicious. Highly recommmended (. . .)I love this book. The duck with green peppercorn sauce is unreal and has made me famous to some, friend to many. (. . .)P>Really a wonderful book.

Michael Roberts, the author, writes in the introduction to his book as though he were speaking to you at a small, outdoor table at a local caféï¿ while dunking a biscotti into his espresso. His message is simple and insightful. His advice is worth hearing.

To begin with, you should know that Michael Roberts moved to Paris in 1975 and earned his professional certificate from the Ecole Superieure de Cuisine Jean-Ferrandi. He lived and worked in Paris before returning to the U.S. and opening his own restaurant Trumps in Los Angeles in 1980. He has since that time returned to Paris for several extended visits. He brought his experiences of everyday life in Paris to this book that reveals how the average, working person in Paris shops for food and prepares meals at home. In his introduction to the book, you instantly recognize yourself because he explains how people in the everyday Parisian culture share virtually the same food varieties, cooking equipment, busy schedules and lack of time that people in every other metropolitan area of the world also share.

The discovery that I made is based upon an admission by the author in the opening of his book when he speaks of his youth and says ï¿The realization that I had learned to cook but not to nourish, that I hadnï¿t grasped the gastronomic world of the average Parisian, disheartened me.ï¿ So, he set upon a course to correct that oversight and wrote about his experiences that revolve around one simple philosophy from which we can all profit. ï¿You start with fine ingredients. You cook things in a way that coaxes out the flavors. No need to complicate a recipe with many ingredients, because they only end up fighting each other. ï¿ Let the ingredients speak to you.ï¿ He goes on to say ï¿The charm of a French meal lies in their insistence on quality ingredients and balanced flavor, in respecting those ingredients by not overcomplicating the cooking.ï¿ I enjoyed and wholeheartedly agree with his comments that shopping for flavorful ingredients should be a delight, not a chore; that cooking delicious meals doesnï¿t really take very long; that the resulting enjoyment breaks up the tension of the day from which we can all benefit; that the devotion to this splendid ritual of eating well should become part of the rhythm of life; and, finally, that families who share this pattern of living will pass on the gift of memories of yesterday so that familiar flavors or aromas will ï¿unlock the memory of childhood, ï¿ what most Parisians do nearly every time they sit down at the table.ï¿

The bookï¿s 175 recipes that reflect the authorï¿s philosophies are easy to prepare and suit a variety of tastes for various courses of a meal, including soups, salads, entrees, and desserts. My copy of the book has already shown wear on its edges and stains on its most used pages which, if you will pardon the expression, speaks volumes about what I think of this book.

I loved this book so much I wanted to write directly to the author, Michael Roberts. I couldn't find him or the publisher on the Web. My last resort will be snail mail. If anyone has his contact info, I would really appreciate it. As for my review, I cooked the Minute Steaks with Tarragon 2 weekends in a row. The Beef Tenderloin Steaks with Roquefort Sauce is to die for. Just like he says, be sure to have some good bread to sop up the sauce. I bought a good crusty French bread. DELIOUS!

I love this book! I especially enjoyed all of the "philosophy" on cooking, eating and enjoying life.

The world needs more cookbooks like this: ones that emphasize quality and simplicity. Thank you Michael Roberts for suggesting that we all try to cook only simple meals during the week!

I found the disapointing especially in the recipes. I experienced a more exciting market and cooking in my apartment in Paris. This book does not do it justice.

...everything I make from this book is truly delicious and , may I add, nutritious. Parisian Home Cooking teaches us that the value of fresh and diverse ingredients, simply prepared is the core of true health; dishes that yearn to be enjoyed amoung friends and actually leave you energy to enjoy their company! I just love the woman who refuses to spend more than fifteen minutes at her stove yet serves up divine dinners; the butcher's timeless admonition that for the body to work it must have some fat - how avant; the tips that coax real flavor from simple foods - to "sweeten" the vinegar for the perfect vinaigrette by adding a splash of wine (just one tip of many). As the diet gurus duke it out for your dollars, look at the slim, healthy Parisians in the photographs, read what they eat at home, and you will toss out the crazed American diet fads with relief. This book will feed you. It's also a good read. Move over Dr. Ornish and Monsieur Pepin - the secret is out!